The women in this remarkable oral history are from diverse ethnic, geographic, and social backgrounds. Their stories about professional and romantic experiences, as well as aspirations, paint a dynamic portrait of the lives of women as they have radically changed in this century. In vivid, poignantly told accounts, editors Myriam Miedzian and her daughter, Alisa Malinovich, share tales of rural, chore-filled childhoods at the start of the century, of present-day teens without curfews, of 1960s sexual liberation; of women who were pioneers in their professions, and of women today heroically balancing the demands of marriage or single life, work, and children.

Sweeping in scope, yet rooted in the details, emotions, and dilemmas of everyday life, this collection of women's lives is a dramatic, remarkable piece of American history.